


loss of a sister, a queen

by werealldreaming



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/F, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, I just can't stop thinking about the character parallels okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-29
Updated: 2019-11-29
Packaged: 2021-02-17 23:13:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21601312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/werealldreaming/pseuds/werealldreaming
Summary: When the Sun Queen falls, Amaya sees the way Janai crumples.OrAmaya sees the ways she and Janai are the same, despite their differences.
Relationships: Amaya/Janai (The Dragon Prince)
Comments: 21
Kudos: 273





	loss of a sister, a queen

When the Sun Queen falls, Amaya sees the way Janai crumples. Even without a lifetime of watching people's body language for cues, it’s impossible to miss the way her whole body curls inward in grief. 

Then her grief turns to rage, and bright lines of lava that begin to appear on her skin, cracking it like the earth around the Breach. She lunges towards Viren and the strange elf in purple, and there is despair in every motion she makes. This is not an attack that is meant to succeed. It is merely an attempt to bring some measure of pain to her sister's murderer before she goes the same way. 

It reminds Amaya of herself, just after hearing the news of Sarai’s fall. She’d been inconsolable in the hours and days after, unable to think of anything else. It had been impossible to imagine a life without her sister, even as she lived it. Even months afterward, she had volunteered for the worst jobs, the most dangerous missions. It had been only a few months after Sarai’s death that she had been named general.

Perhaps more importantly, she is reminded of her desire for revenge. It had burned hot and bright within her, and it had destroyed while it lasted. If she were a Sunfire elf, she might have glowed in anger in every waking moment. It had been a way to stave off the despair that threatened to overtake her. But eventually, it had cooled, and now she can see how much more she has done. Things she could not have done if she'd gotten herself killed in a desperate revenge quest. 

Her king’s flame had burned longer and brought even more destruction with it.

It's the reason they're in this mess to begin with.

She runs after Janai and tackles her to the ground. Her skin is hot enough to burn, but she holds on even as Janai struggles against her. She can’t say anything, not without letting her go, but she looks her in the eye and tries to convey at least some of what she is thinking. How she can't let her die in an impossible quest for revenge, especially when there are so many other things that need to be done. Amaya mastered the art of facial expressions long ago—she can only hope Janai can read them.

Janai stares at her, and Amaya softens her expression. She knows how hard it is to lose a sister. Still, she doesn’t let go. After a moment, Janai looks away, and her skin cools, reverting to its normal state.

Amaya holds her as she sobs, shoulders shaking with grief for a sister and queen. Together, they watch as the ghostly purple elf disappears, and Viren takes the staff, its power turned red and corrupted.

When she glances over at Janai again, her face is hard. Her tears are gone. “We must fight back.”

* * *

Janai finds her after the battle. She’s sitting by a fire some of the other human soldiers had made to ward off the chill of the night. The Sunfire elves don’t seem to feel the cold, but Amaya is grateful for the warmth.

“Amaya,” she says, after she has gotten her attention. She signs it as well; the name sign she and Sarai had come up with when they were still children. Gren must have taught it to her. She continues without signs, and Gren steps in to interpret. “I wanted to thank you. For everything.”

She shrugs. “I was just protecting my home. My family.” Which is true, even if it’s not the full truth. 

Janai sits down next to her, turned so that she can see her face, even though Gren is also interpreting her words. Amaya can't help but be surprised at the gesture. Her shoulders shift in what Amaya thinks is a sigh, and she says, “There’s a specific moment, when you stopped me from going after the mage, Viren. It was right after my sister…”

“I’m sorry.”

“No. I didn’t realize then, how powerful he was. All I could think of was revenge for my sister, my queen. I would have died, if you had not stopped me. I would not have accomplished nothing. You should not apologize for stopping me.”

Amaya shakes her head. She glances at Gren, unsure how to say what she wants to say. It’s a subtle cue they’ve developed, a way of letting him know that she wants him to be extra careful in his translations. “I…am not sorry that I stopped you from getting revenge. I am sorry for your loss, though.” She hesitates. “My sister was queen as well, before she died. I didn’t have the chance for revenge just after, the way you did, but I wanted it. So did her husband, King Harrow. And I watched as that tore him apart.”

“He is the one who killed the Dragon King.” It’s not a question. Amaya feels a flicker of guilt, seeing Janai’s face: horrified and angry.

“He was the one who killed Sarai.” She doesn’t know if she is looking to excuse the actions or explain them, but she says it anyway. “She was the love of his life.”

“I’m sorry. For your sister’s death.”

“I know.” Amaya looks away, into the fire. She doesn’t want to talk about Sarai or the Sun Queen anymore. She doesn’t want to grieve again. 

Nobody else had understood her grief, she thinks. Not really. King Harrow and his sons had lost their family, and the kingdom had lost their queen, but Amaya had lost both. Sarai had been her queen and her sister and her best friend, and it had unspeakably isolating when she'd lost her. But now Janai has gone through the same thing, and Amaya wonders if she feels the same. 

She doesn't ask. It's too soon, she thinks, to be discussing something like that. The wounds are still too fresh. 

Janai seems to understand her cue. She doesn’t say anything more, but instead shifts so that she is sitting next to her, pressed close in comfort. She places her head on Amaya’s shoulder, and eventually, Amaya reaches down and takes her hand.

**Author's Note:**

> I just can't stop thinking about the parallels between Amaya and Janai they're so good
> 
> Please let me know if I got anything wrong with Amaya! And leave a comment if you're so inclined!
> 
> my [tumblr](https://ternaryflower53.tumblr.com)


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